Wu Tianzhen runs an antique shop nearby called Wu Shan Ju.
After everything was tidied up, the group returned to their small dwelling. Zhang Qiling was pressed onto the sofa in the middle, with the Ghost Seal placed on the coffee table in front of him.
"Little Brother, did you go looking for this?"
Wu Tianzhen picked up the Ghost Seal and looked at it from left to right, feeling as if the ghost head patterns on it possessed a strange power that could capture one's soul. He quickly and gently placed it back.
To be honest, even Zhang Qiling himself didn't know the true purpose of the system's instruction to explore Tibet. Perhaps it was to obtain the Ghost Seal, or perhaps it was to have him truly confirm the existence of the Bronze Gate.
However, these explanations were too complicated, so he merely nodded faintly.
"No, does this thing have some deeper meaning?" Fatty asked in surprise. Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck him, and he reached into his collar, fumbling for a long time before pulling out the warmed Faoqiu Seal.
"Is this black thing also a divine artifact, just like this treasure seal?"
"Black and White Twin Fiends?!"
Zhang Qiling: ...How long has it been? Is that Faoqiu Seal still against his skin?
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call the Ghost Seal a divine artifact. Although it couldn't command a million ghostly soldiers as the legends claimed, its value was far from being in the artifact itself.
Its true power was its ability to open that mysterious and unfathomable Bronze Gate.
...That gate, the gate of destiny that belonged to Little Brother.
Thinking of this, boundless anxiety once again coiled around Zhang Qiling's heart.
Ever since he learned of the Bronze Gate's existence, he had always felt an impulse, a desire to go in and investigate.
For some reason, his subconscious seemed to be whispering to him, telling him that the gate was a place he had to go.
"...Little Brother? Little Brother! What's wrong, Little Brother?!"
Wu Tianzhen's voice suddenly startled him awake. Zhang Qiling realized with a jolt that he had been lost in thought for too long.
Looking at Fatty and Wu Tianzhen, who were gathered around him with worried expressions, he didn't know where to begin his explanation.
"I don't know."
His vacant gaze rested on the Ghost Seal, and in the end, he condensed his scattered thoughts into a single word: "I don't know."
"But it's very important to me."
Wu Tianzhen and Fatty were speechless for a moment. Zhang Qiling's eyes were extremely vacant at that moment, a detachment that didn't belong to this world shining through his bewilderment.
In that instant, they had a peculiar premonition.
They sensed that Zhang Qiling would one day go to places they could not reach.
Just as an unsettling silence filled Wu Shan Ju, Zhang Qiling suddenly looked up, the Black Gold Ancient Blade unsheathing with a clang. In an instant, he had already rushed to the doorway!
The slightly ajar door slowly opened at this moment. Before the newcomer could see anything, a chill ran down his neck as the blade of the ancient sword pressed against his throat!
Only then did the fierce wind generated by the Black Gold Ancient Blade arrive, making the newcomer's long trench coat rustle!
Fatty and Wu Tianzhen had barely seen anything. By the time they reacted, they found Zhang Qiling holding a sword to someone, looking as if a bloody incident was about to occur.
"What the heck! Little Brother, wait!" Wu Tianzhen, startled, immediately made to rush over but tripped on the sofa cushion that had fallen to the ground.
With the momentum of his rush, he stumbled and practically sprinted to the doorway, about to crash into the doorframe.
Zhang Qiling was speechless for a moment, but he still reached out with his left hand to steady Wu Tianzhen.
During this process, the blade of the Black Gold Ancient Blade remained steady.
"Little Brother, what's wrong with you?" Fatty finally caught up.
Wu Tianzhen, after all, ran a shop. Although business was slow, it was unprecedented for customers to visit.
In their eyes, this was just a customer who had nothing better to do and wanted to look at antiques. They didn't understand why Zhang Qiling was reacting so strongly and were worried he might have suffered some mental trauma while searching for the Ghost Seal outside.
"Sorry about that, our Little Brother is a bit shy and not used to seeing outsiders, hahaha!"
Fatty chimed in with the newcomer, his words becoming increasingly absurd. The victim, whose neck was currently being held by the sword, couldn't help but twitch his eye.
"Yeah, yeah, that's right!" Wu Tianzhen echoed from the side. Noticing the newcomer's gaze locked onto the sword, he panicked and blurted out, "Don't look at it, it seems very powerful, but it's actually fake!"
"Hahahaha, isn't that right, Little Brother!?"
Wu Tianzhen lightly touched Zhang Qiling behind his back, signaling him to play along.
Zhang Qiling and the victim shared the same shocked thought: they never expected someone to be so audacious as to deceive them so thoroughly.
However, it was clear that Fatty and Wu Tianzhen were worrying for nothing.
Judging by the newcomer's still composed posture, it was evident that he was no ordinary, friendly customer.
"...He has a gun."
After a moment of silence, Zhang Qiling finally spoke.
With these words, Wu Tianzhen and Fatty were struck with alarm!
Upon closer inspection, they realized that one of the man's hands was indeed tucked into his trench coat pocket, and it was only because of the sword at his neck that he hadn't made any further moves!
"Holy crap!"
Wu Tianzhen shouted and immediately grabbed an antique vase nearby. Fatty was even more outrageous; seeing no suitable tool at hand, he directly reached out to try and further restrain the newcomer's neck!
Even then, Wu Tianzhen was still shouting:
"Little Brother, you're too reckless like this! You knew he had a gun, why didn't you take any precautions? It's too dangerous!"
Zhang Qiling: ...
The victim, whose neck was being held, with a sword at his throat and a large vase poised above him: ...Do you hear yourself?
"Ah..." He finally couldn't help but laugh: "It's my fault, I shouldn't have brought a gun."
"I didn't expect to be heard just by checking my gear outside the door. As expected of the legendary Zhang Qiling."
"...What do you mean, legendary Zhang Qiling?!"
This immediately made Wu Tianzhen and Fatty tense up. Their perception of the newcomer gradually shifted from a robber to a kidnapper.
However, the newcomer seemed even more surprised.
"Don't you remember?" he asked, stunned, unsure how to phrase his words.
"Didn't you livestream your entire exploration of the Changbai Mountain Forbidden Land?"
"Although you felt like there weren't many viewers, it's actually because the higher-ups noticed this special livestream and implemented corresponding security measures."
"My name is Song Shuning, and I'm here on behalf of the higher-ups to discuss cooperation matters with you."
"With your abilities, you will surely be able to uncover the secrets of the Forbidden Land and provide an additional layer of security for the people!"
"These are my identification and work permits. You can inspect them thoroughly."
Saying this, he took his hand out of his trench coat pocket, reached into his inner pocket, and produced two neatly bound identification booklets with golden seals.
...It was real.
Wu Shan Ju fell silent for a few seconds, and then, like a whirlwind, the vase in Wu Tianzhen's hand was returned to its place, and Fatty's hand shifted to adjust Song Shuning's collar.
The two of them abruptly disguised their violent actions as a misunderstanding, attempting to create a warm and harmonious family atmosphere.
Only Zhang Qiling couldn't keep up with their reaction speed. He was stunned for a moment, the knife in his hand retracting slightly, hesitating about what to do next.
"Alright, Little Brother, stop showing off your knife and come sit down!"
Fortunately, Fatty quickly provided him with an excuse. Although Zhang Qiling found it ridiculous, he cooperated by taking down the knife, spinning it rapidly in front of Song Shuning as if displaying it, and then quietly sat back down on the sofa.
Song Shuning: You've really confused me.
But he also understood that this was their way of saving face, so he smiled and didn't bring it up again, gracefully moving towards the sofa to sit down.
He originally intended to sit next to Zhang Qiling, who was the central figure and seemed to be in a daze, but after taking two steps, Fatty's large posterior plopped down, forcefully pushing him aside.
Song Shuning: ...Fine.
It seemed that his "kidnapper" persona was still deeply ingrained in these two.
"In that case, let's get down to business."
Finally seated, he chuckled helplessly, then turned serious and said:
"Have you heard of Cangshan?"